Medicines | A knock-out from the pharmacists’ union for the liberalization of the sale of medicines

Pharmacists’ Association opposes the liberalization of the sale of over-the-counter medicines in shops.

According to the association, the expansion of the places where medicines are sold increases the inappropriate use of over-the-counter medicines and drug side effects.

“Experiences in Sweden have shown that the expansion of sales channels has led to a strong increase in the sale and use of over-the-counter medicines, and consumers spend significantly more money on them than before the expansion,” says the pharmaceutical director Inka Puumalainen In Apteekkariliito’s bulletin.

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM)

said on Thursday,

that on the basis of the investigation carried out under its leadership, the sale of over-the-counter medicines could be exempted under certain conditions. Some medicines, such as painkillers, would require remote medicine consultation, and implementing this still requires further preparation. For example, the sale of vitamin and iron preparations would not require counseling, so the liberalization of their sale could be implemented more easily.

Apteekkariliitto demands that the liberalization of sales be limited to only those products that do not require counseling.

STM according to one of the goals of the liberalization of sales should be that the price of medicines for consumers would decrease. According to Apteekkariliitto, the goal should be to reduce the unnecessary use of medicines.

“The most efficient drug market is not the one where the most drugs are sold,” Puumalainen says in the announcement.

The Association of Pharmacists is also concerned about the livelihood of its members. According to the union, even partial liberalization of sales can endanger the operations of pharmacies in remote areas in particular.

According to the association, the share of prescription drug sales left by the pharmacy has decreased throughout the 2000s.

“If, in this situation, pharmacies lose sales to central stores, especially many pharmacies located in small towns may become unprofitable. This means that people living in remote areas will have to go even further to get prescription drugs,” Puumalainen says in the announcement.

On the market according to the union, sales must be liberalized.

According to the association, the liberalization of sales would expand and improve the supply of medicines also in sparsely populated areas. According to the association, over-the-counter medicines are also too expensive for customers today.

The trade association also questions the fact that the reform would significantly weaken Apteekki’s profitability.

“In Finland, over-the-counter medicines currently make up 14 percent of the turnover of pharmacies. In Sweden, where the exemption was made in 2009, pharmacies still sell 83 percent of over-the-counter medicines,” the association’s announcement reads.

The trade association demands that over-the-counter medicines be released for online sales as well. In Sweden and Norway, online pharmacies have also had an important effect on the price level of over-the-counter medicines, the release says.